A new survey of state-government ethics and openness reaches a conclusion that flies in the face of popular conceptions:
New Jersey - setting for The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire and Jersey Shore - is the nation's most politically transparent state.
After measuring 330 "Corruption Risk Indicators," the State Integrity Investigation, gave its highest grade, a B+, to the Garden State, just ahead of Connecticut, which got a B.
The Garden State is really squeaky clean?
Not so fast. The study has a paradoxical explanation.
"States with histories of corruption tend to have more recent and robust laws in place to deter such behavior," the study's announcement stated.
Pennsylvania was ranked 21st, with a C-, just ahead of Delaware, which got the same grade.
Eight states flunked. Getting an F were Georgia, Michigan, Maine, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Virginia and Wyoming.
The investigation, which had reporters tally "the strength of laws and practices that encourage openness and deter corruption," was a collaborative effort by three groups - the Center for Public Integrity, Public Radio International, and Global Integrity.
Unlike previous studies, it went beyond counting up scandals to assess government access and openness in "14 categories of government," including campaign finance; executive, legislative and judicial accountability; budgeting; civil service management; procurement; internal auditing; lobbying disclosure, pension fund management; ethics enforcement; insurance commissions; and redistricting, according to the researchers.
For more, go to www.stateintegrity.org. Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.
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